19

0.—2

(2) Government Prospecting Drills. The following table gives details of the drilling done and the results obtained for twelve months ended 31st December, 1928. Drill Superintendents: W. H. Warburton, E. A. Wilson, E. W. Browne, D. Pettigrew, G. Seale, F. W. It. Godden, and B. F. Tyson.

Drills used: Schram-Harker diamond, Keystone, and placer drills.

(3) Subsidized Roads on Goldfields. The expenditure in the form of subsidies and direct grants upon roads on goldfields amounted to £1,792, as compared with £3,841 during the previous year. (4) Schools of Mines. For the year ending the 31st March, 1929, the expenditure on schools of mines totalled £3,541, against £3,517 for the previous year. This includes a grant of £750 to the University of Otago for the Otago School of Mines. The other schools supported were the schools of mines at Thames, Waihi, Huntly, Westport, and Runanga. The schools of mines do useful and necessary work, though at the gold-mining centres, Waihi and Thames, few of the students take mining and allied subjects, with the result that these two schools are technical schools rather than schools of mines. I desire again to acknowledge the efficient help and co-operation which I have received during the year from the District Inspectors of Mines. I have, &c., J. A. 0. Bayne, Inspecting Engineer of Mines.

nf'wnfpl iwl'i! Diameter Mineral Character of Books Tn ®hnm imt ' or Holes Depth, nf ... io whom lent. Foot ot loot ot Kesults. drilled, in Feet. ot Hole ' S00 SM- drilled through. Drilling. Transport. 8 i Ft. In. s. d. i s. d. s. d. 5 102 6 Gold Gravel and sand.. Four River Plains 8s. .. Promising. Syndicate 11 896 6 „ Clay, gravels, &c. John Stevenson 17 0 3 3 .. Satisfactory. and party 6 816,, Gravels .. Matakitaki Syn- 9 10 29 2 dicate 35 781 6 „ Gravels and sand Four River Plains 9 8 16 .. Fair. Syndicate 4 144 5 „ Gravels, &c. .. Upper Nevis Gold- 6 10 0 7J .. Unsatisfactory. dredging Co. 3 88 5 I „ Gravels and clay Lower Nevis Pro- 32 3 7 11 .. „ specting Co. 22 368 6 „ Gravels .. Clutha Develop- 22 0 9 3 .. „ ment, Ltd. 8 479 6 „ Gravels and clay J. Stevenson and 17 0 3 3 .. Satisfactory. party 3 151 6 ,, ,, E. W. Finch .. .. .. .. In progress. 3 208 3 &4 Water Limestone & gravels Co bden Town Bel. 11 8 0 10|- 3 2 Unsatisfactory. 2 1,480 If Gold Clay-andesite breccia Muir's Gold-reefs, 12 0 0 10 10 1 ,, Ltd. 1 571 2f Coal Mudstone, sand- Hunter and party 6 5 0 1 5 1 „ stone, shale, and grit 3 116 3 „ Slip sandstone and T. S. Williams 9 1 0 9 .. 8 ft. seam of good shale and party coal. 106 5,465